The Fushichou
by JamesFrost
Summary: Naruto's life is forever changed when he is captured by the missing-nins Itachi and Kisame. What will the future bring to our hero as his past is revealed and the lies are uncovered.
1. Prologue

A/N: quick edit to some mistakes I made, thank you again to my beta Loki_Chaos_God

Prologue:

Tsunade sat tiredly at her desk, as Hokage, she unfortunately had to sit in this Kami-forsaken room all day.

"Why did I agree to take Hokage, all I do is sit and do paperwork!" she screamed for the umpteenth time. Glaring at the stacks upon stacks of reports lying about on her desk, Tsunade sighed. Smirking, the Hokage glanced quickly around the room and listened intently. _Good,_ she thought, _sounds as though Shizune is not at her desk outside, time for some sake!_

Reaching softly into her bottom desk drawer, Tsunade quietly removed her sake bottle along with a shallow dish. Pouring herself a shot's worth of the enticing liquid, Tsunade quickly stole a glance around the room once more before downing the contents of the bowl.

"Hokage-sama?" asked a voice from behind the door.

Spluttering, Tsunade quickly shoved the bowl and bottle back into her desk, "Yes Shizune?"

Settling her elbows upon the desk, Tsunade watched as her assistant and friend Shizune entered her office with another stack of the dreaded reports.

"Here are the reports from Kakashi-sama and Naruto-kun along with the rest of the gennin who chased Sasuke. You might want to go over this first before you start on that bottle again."

Hanging her head, Tsunade silently beckoned her assistant forward. Upon having the offending articles placed in front of her, Tsunade couldn't help but think about her favorite blond, Naruto had become more of a little brother to her. She couldn't help but think of how hurt he had been when Kakashi brought him back to the village two days prior. But the physical damage was nothing compared to the emotional turmoil the young Uzumaki was now going through. Picking up the first report she barely paid attention to it while she continued to think about the young man that kept entering her thoughts.

She was thankful that Jiraiya had decided to take the boy to train; this would help them all in two ways. One, bring the cheerful and bumbling Naruto back to the village, and two that of which was of greater need, help young Naruto gain strength in order to fight not only against Orochimaru, but against the Akatsuki.

_Why, why does this young man have the worst of lives? Naruto has done nothing but help this village, and yet he has been shunned and hated his entire life. Now add in these Akatsuki who want to capture him and kill him and somehow use the Kyuubi for their hidden purposes._

Sighing yet again, Tsunade decided that it was time to head to the gates and meet her former perverted teammate before he takes the main reason she returned to Konoha away for training. Pushing herself away from the desk, the Godaime Hokage took her green robe from behind her and wrapped it around herself, then moved quickly through the door, heading for the main gate.

Passing through the village, Tsunade couldn't help but feel pride in the people of Konohagakure. Even with the loss of the Sandaime, along with the invasion of Orochimaru, the citizens and shinobi continued on with their lives, showing the 'Will of Fire' that the Third referred to constantly with pride. Though her mood began to darken the further she went. Banners were hung in some of the shops, along with people openly celebrating the fact that the 'demon' would be leaving the village today. _Idiots… Naruto has sacrificed more than any in this village. Hell, I'm surprised the boy has even stayed within these walls and still remained loyal to Konoha with the abuse and hate that has surrounded him throughout his life._

Darkening her mood even further than it was, it seemed it was not Jiraiya's day as his fellow sannin and Hokage came upon him leering through some fencing around one of the public bathhouses. Tsunade couldn't help but stare at first as she watched and listened to the giggles that came from her former teammate as he wrote in a notebook while watching his 'studies' for his books.

The only warning Jiraiya had was the sound of feet shuffling and knuckles cracking before he found himself flying through the air towards to gates, being chased by the screams from his oldest friend, as she barreled behind him to keep up the beating.

"You damned pervert! How many times will I have to kick your ass before you realize peeping is not tolerated! If you weren't taking Naruto with you to train, I'd break every bone in your body!"

As the Toad Sannin rolled along the roadway, he was barely able to stop himself from plowing into the main gates of the village. Shaking his head, Jiraiya slowly begins to regain his bearings only to see Tsunade stalking him from further up the street.

"N…now Tsunade, let's not get hasty here…" Jiraiya began to beg. Yes, he was one of the legendary Sannin, one of the most powerful shinobi currently alive, but he would always cower when his friend came after him with that much killer intent rolling off of her.

As Tsunade reached back to (hopefully) slap some sense into Jiraiya, three ANBU shunshined beside her.

"Hokage-sama," a dog-masked member addressed his leader.

Slowly taking a breath to calm her anger, Tsunade turned to the ANBU captain before her.

"What is it?"

"There's … been a disturbance at the Uzumaki apartment."

Tsunade and Jiraiya both begin to pale, gathering his thoughts faster than his counterpart, the Toad Sannin spoke first. "What kind of disturbance, where is Naruto?"

Lowering his masked face, the ANBU captain spoke softly. "This might be better if you were to see his apartment."

Before the captain had finished his suggestion, both sannin had shunshined away. As fast as they could run, the two arrived at the apartment complex that housed their blonde friend.

"…Oh Kami…" Tsunade paled further as she came upon the door, or what used to be a door hanging ajar from the frame. Slowly, hesitantly, the two began to move in, meeting the other ANBU that were already there as the messenger squad landed behind them.

"Hokage-sama, Jiraiya-sama…" Turning, the sannin were greeted by the worried eye of Hatake Kakashi. Nodding, the three began to move further into the apartment, or what was left of it.

Jiraiya couldn't help but hold back the tears from the remains of the battle spread around before them. The entire apartment seemed to be a battlefield. The entire living area was destroyed; no piece of furniture left intact, but what drew the 5 eyes of the newcomers was the blood, all the blood splashed about the room. Tsunade watched as the medic-nin arrived to begin working on the blood samples left within the room as the ANBU seemed to be completing their inspection.

"Well!?" Stormed Tsunade, all those within the room flinched; this was not only their Hokage arriving on a crime scene within her village. This was a woman who found Naruto not only a valuable shinobi, but also treated the young man like a son.

"Hokage-sama, what we have discovered is that within the last hour, two men broke through the door and engaged Uzumaki. From what we can tell, somehow they were able to keep young Naruto from using any of his more… destructive jutsus. Through the altercation, it seems that the two subdued him quickly, more than likely by a form of genjutsu." Spoke the captain in charge.

Tears began to trail down the 3 non masked ninja within the room as one of the medic-nins turned to the group upon finishing her blood work.

"Hokag-"

"Forget the formalities; tell me what you've found."

"Hai, we found that the majority of the blood within the vicinity is that of Uzumaki Naruto's, we found traces of another's. It will take a few minutes for us do decipher whose blood it belongs to if we have it on file."

Nodding, Tsunade turned to see Jiraiya sitting on the bed holding what looked to be a piece of torn fabric, tears openly falling down his face. Moving closer, Tsunade couldn't stop the gasp that erupted form her throat as she saw what was on the dark fabric; within the black cloth, there was a design of what looked to be a red cloud.

"…Akatsuki…" Though Tsunade wanted to scream with all of the hate and anger she felt; all she could do was whisper the name of the organization which shown interest in young Naruto not that long ago. Kakashi was barely able to catch his Hokage as she started to fall to the floor, her body wracked with sobs.

"Jiraiya-sama…?" Turning his gaze from the offending cloth in his hand, the toad sannin noticed the medic-nin who had spoken to Tsunade moments ago.

"Report." He growled. This was not Cali's day, not only had she had the Hokage herself fuss at her; now she could see nothing but anger in the arguably strongest shinobi within the walls of the village.

"Sir, we've found out who the blood of the other sample… his name is Hoshigaki Kisame."

Sighing, Jiraiya softly wiped the tears away as he grumbled, "Well that explains the genjutsu."

Tsunade got up and lifted her fellow sannin off of the bed using her Herculean strength, "What do you mean?"

Shaking his head softly, Jiraiya removed Tsunade's hands from his vest, "If Kisame was here, then his partner came along with him. It means that Uchiha Itachi was here as well."

"Then we have lost him… We have lost our Naruto," cried his oldest living friend softly as she buried her head into his shoulder letting the tears fall.

"Not yet we haven't, I'm going after them!" Shouted the Toad Sannin, as he removed Tsunade from his shoulder and began to move through the doorway.


	2. Chapter 1

A/N: Thanks to those who reviewed.

Forgot to add this to the prologue…. DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN NARUTO

=)

Thank you to my betas: Loki_Chaos_God and Oger

"Speech"

'_Thought'_

"**Demon speech/Jutsu"**

'_**Demon Thought'**_

--- ---

Jiraiya shunshined in quick succession to the front gates of the village, pausing, he turned to watch as Kakashi quickly caught up to him.

"Jiraiya-sama, I wish to go with you and bring Naruto back. We just lost Sasuke… I don't want to lose Naruto also…"

A grim smile covers the sannin's face as he lets out a quick sigh, "Kakashi, there's something you might want to remember when comparing those two. Sasuke left on his own free will, Naruto was taken. Naruto is more than likely about to lose his life we are not fast enough."

Hatake Kakashi bowed his head while taking a soft intake of breath. "Do you know where they might have taken him?"

Turning back to the gates, Jiraiya begins his trek out of them while turning back to the jounin who was following, "From what my informants have been able to tell, Akatsuki is based somewhere in Rain Country."

Facing forward, Kakashi changes his direction towards the border, "Then what are doing still talking?" Smirking to one another, two of the strongest shinobi from Konohagakure begin to race further into the woodlands, praying they will be able to move fast enough.

--- ---

"Damn that kid!" Hoshigaki Kisame changed the bandages on his side. Turning his gaze, the Akatsuki member barely held back his rage at the young gennin lying unconscious on his partner's back. Kisame could barely understand how this boy, vessel for the Kyuubi or not, had landed a hit on him. Though his sword Samehada had been able to absorb most of Naruto's chakra, the fact the boy was able to get the rasengan past it and into Kisame's side still surprised the S-ranked missing-nin. He knew he had overdone it after he was struck; thankfully the boy lived even though he had his left side shaved from the teeth of the Samehada. Looking once again to his partner, Kisame could only stand there confused as he watched what actually looked like a sort of emotion slightly showing through Itachi's eyes.

"What is it Itachi?" inquired the blue skinned Kisame.

Turning his gaze off of their current path, Itachi locked eyes with his long time partner and watched as the former Mist nin smile toward him nervously.

"I think this might be our final mission together Kisame."

"What are you talking about Itachi? Are you having second thoughts about all of this now?"

"I don't mean that I am leaving or quitting Kisame. What I mean is the fact that one of us, if not all of us are about to die."

Kisame was pretty sure his eyebrows had reattached themselves to the back of his head.

"What are you talking about? There are not many who would even think about standing up to us, let alone seeking us out. Not even that snake Orochimaru would be dumb enough to come after us."

Itachi turned his gaze back to their progress, sighing before he spoke, "It's not that simple. I do not think the attack will come from outside of the organization."

Now Kisame was really confused.

"What are you talking about? All of us are agreed, we all want to achieve Pein's goal."

Nodding, Itachi turns his gaze to his partner, "Yes, but who's to say that we won't have to sacrifice even more than what we already have. I feel there will be more than we ever believed will be put upon the block before this is said and done."

Leaping to the next tree, Kisame slowly shook his head, "Itachi the Sharingan Prophet."

His dark haired friend turned back to the front, increasing his speed as they moved closer to the Akatsuki headquarters.

--- ---

"Jiraiya-sama, there are some things I was wanting to ask you about…"

The enigmatic Toad sannin looked to his side at the jounin he was giving chase with.

"What is it Kakashi?"

Turning his visible eye to his sensei's instructor, Kakashi began to put his thoughts in some semblance of an order.

"My first question, how was it that we know it was Kisame and Itachi that took him? When did the village gather a sample of another village's missing-nin?"

Keeping his gaze forward, Jiraiya thought for a few moments before he decided to share what information he could.

"First, I must warn you that what I'm about to tell you is considered an S-rank Konoha secret, if it wasn't for the fact this could have some significance while we're moving, I believe you have the right to know since you have also trained Naruto." Looking to his side, the sannin waited as the copy-nin nodded his head before he continued.

"Five years ago, during my travels I began to hear the murmurs about a group of missing-nin that had begun to band together and form an organization of their own to compete with the villages picking up missions. Assassinations, thievery, nothing was out of their range of action. Assuming that this might be detrimental to Konoha, I began to use the majority of my contacts and informants to dig up anything and everything they could about this new group calling themselves, 'Akatsuki'.

"While searching, I found out many astonishing facts, one of them being that nearly every member that had joined Akatsuki's ranks, were all considered S-ranked missing-nins. You can imagine my surprise also when I learned that at least one shinobi from every village belonged to them. Through much digging, and unfortunately, the sacrifice of a few of my informants, I began to learn the names of its members.

"Kisame of the Mist, Diedara of the Rock, Sasori of the Sand, and most notably to us, Itachi of the Leaf; all of these among others swarmed their ranks and made Akatsuki a force to be reckoned with. When I left after the Chuunin Exams, it was due to the need to get more information. What makes this so dangerous was the fact in order to get blood samples of each of these members; I attempted to infiltrate their home villages and raided the ANBU headquarters. The only one that I could enter, fortunately for us, was that of the Mist, due to their civil war it was relatively easy to sneak in without being noticed.

"What I learned through my attempts, was something that truly shocked me. Every spy that I had began to learn of the Akatsuki's interest in the Jinchuuriki and the Bijuu they contained. As I told you once I returned, it seems they have had a great interest in our young Naruto especially, which makes sense when you think about the fact that he contains the most powerful of the Bijuu, the Kyuubi's power is roughly equal to that of the other tailed beasts combined. "

Kakashi's visible eye greatly widened upon learning just how powerful the Kyuubi truly was. Returning his gaze to their path, the copy-nin tried to decide which question to ask next.

"Do you have any idea why they want the Bijuu's?"

"…No… the most that I've been able to gather is that the Bijuu are the center of their focus."

"Possibly they want to try and control them, if not make their members into Jinchuuriki themselves. What better way would there be to control the tailed-beasts."

Jiraiya nodded his head, thinking about many of the possibilities that were available. Shifting his gaze to his one-eyed companion, Jiraiya sighs before turning his gaze forward, "For all we know, the Akatsuki could be taking them for any reason. From killing them in a ritual to banish the Bijuu, to brainwashing the Bijuu's and their vessels in order to use the hidden villages own Jinchuuriki against them."

Kakashi sighed once more as he prepared to ask the question that had been haunting him for months. "Jiraiya-sama… What I'm about to ask you is probably the most important and decisive question I will ask today…"

The Toad Sannin turned his gaze upon the Sharingan wielder, giving a minute nod preparing for anything.

Turning his visible eye to the sannin, Kakashi hesitates a moment…

"Jiraiya-sama, I was wondering when the next volume of Icha-Icha was coming out…?"

Jiraiya falters on the next branch, turning red in anger, and begins to berate the copy-nin.

"BAKA! You inconsiderate bastard! You are the president of the fan club and you didn't even read the newsletter I sent you!?"

--- ---

Itachi calmly walked forward, looking upon the mountain face he and Kisame had brought young Naruto. It had been years since the elder Uchiha brother had thought about his death. Since he had left Konoha, Itachi had soon joined Akatsuki, knowing fully what their 'objective' was. '_A world without war, what seemed such an out of reach dream seems to finally be within our grasp'_. For five long years, he had been working with Kisame, working random missions from the smaller countries, building up money for their larger operations. But, Itachi knew, even though they weren't to collect the Jinchuuriki so early, letting this boy be taught by the Toad Sannin any more than he already was would only lead to many more headaches for the organization.

Turning his gaze back to the boy on his back, Itachi couldn't help but remember the power the boy showed merely hours ago. To have the power while the Samehada removed your chakra to still form the **Rasengan**, he could only imagine what this vessel would be capable of in a few years. Yes, it was definitely better to catch their quarry before he gained more troublesome abilities.

"C'mon Itachi, let's get this over with."

Glancing to Kisame, the Sharingan user nodded and began to move into the cave's entrance.

"You have moved faster than he wanted."

Both turn to the cave wall to their left, seeing what seemed to be an overly large Venus flytrap growing from the wall. Kisame turned to Zetsu and smirked.

"Calm down Zetsu, we saw the opportunity to grab the nine tails, we took it."

"He is not pleased that you moved our plans forward quicker than he wanted. **Though he is happy that you captured the Jinchuuriki, leader is gathering the rest of the members. **Yes, he wants all of us present for the sealing of the first."

Nodding, Kisame begins the trek further into the cave, bypassing the traps designed for anyone foolish enough to try and invade their sanctuary. As Itachi followed his partner, he couldn't help but think back to the vision he had seen as they left Konoha.

--- ---

Flashback:

_Turning his gaze across the room, Itachi calmly takes in the damage their little scuffle caused in the small apartment. Quickly, Itachi moves over to the bloody body lying on the floor, expertly wrapping the wounds inflicted by his teammate. Though the nine tails vessel has an incredible healing factor, it won't help him if he bled to death while traveling._

_Itachi paused upon hearing something coming from the wall in front of him. Lifting his gaze, the missing-nin activates his Sharingan, scanning for any possible foe. As his gaze once again crossed by the wall across from him, Itachi began to blink as the wall he was facing began to change; enveloping the entire room within it's shifting of colors._

"_Kisame, what do you see?" the Sharingan user asked, turning to find his partner lying in a pool of his own blood within the mountain hideout of the Akatsuki. Moving his gaze back and forth through the area that had sprouted about him, Itachi could only stare blankly at the bodies of the remaining members as they finished their death throes._

"_You too, Itachi, do you stand against a god?" spoke a tired voice from behind the young nin, who moved his eyes to look upon the 'leader' of Akatsuki, Pein standing behind him._

"_What do you mean, Leader-san?" Itachi inquired softly, raising himself to face the blood drenched man behind him._

"_Stop this mockery; I know it was you who bred this insurrection. You brought the entire organization against me. Now you shall die at the hands of a god!"_

_Barely had the words left his mouth before a blinding light erupted to swallow Itachi in whole…_

End Flashback:

--- ---

"Itachi…? Hey Itachi, snap out of it! Pein-sama is waiting."

Returning his gaze to his partner, Itachi begins to move further into the cave system. A feeling of uneasiness began to grow more and more with every step into the subterranean fortress. Every step forward brought the realization to the eighteen year old that what he saw was not a false sight, but more of the future being revealed.

"Kisame…"

"Hai."

"…Keep your wits about you."

Kisame eyed his companion as he carried the Jinchuuriki beside him.

"Is this about what you saw?"

Nodding, Itachi whispers his response, "Whatever happens…stay on guard."

Reaching behind him, Kisame loosens Samehada and prepares to draw it within a second's notice.

"I might have given you hell about you 'seeing' this shit, but we have worked together for years. If what you said is true, then I'll at least be ready for what might be coming."

Itachi let out a soft breath as they moved further into the confines around them, _'Yes, we'll be ready for whatever happens.'_

--- ---

"…I've lost their trail…"

Kakashi moved his gaze over to the aged Sannin whom he was traveling with before avidly searching the area around them, looking for any clues to where the Akatsuki members had gone.

"If you want Jiraiya-sama, I can summon Pakkun, he is the best of the tracking dogs."

Cursing himself, Jiraiya grimly nodded. Though their targets had covered their trek from eyes, he doubted even they could hide their sent from the nose of a nin-hound.

Biting his thumb, the copy-nin began to flash through hand seals before slamming his palm down upon the tree branch he was standing on.

"**Kuchiyose no Jutsu!"**

As the kanji spread from his palm, an explosion of smoke erupted below Kakashi's hand. When the smoke began to clear, both nins saw a small pug appear in front of them wearing a blue vest along with the leaf Hitai-ite resting upon his brow.

"Ohayo Kakashi."

"Pakkun, we need your help."

Raising an ear, Pakkun turns his gaze to the elder man standing on a branch to the side.

"What do you need Jiraiya-sama?"

Taking another breath, trying to calm himself, the sannin sets his gaze upon the summoned pug before him.

"Naruto has been captured by the Akatsuki; we are currently giving chase but have lost the trail. We were hoping that you can find their scent and lead us in the correct direction."

Pakkun could feel his brow strain against the Hitai-ite upon it as his eyes widened.

"Naruto, eh? Give me a moment to search for what I can find. Is this where you trailed them to last?"

Jiraiya gave the Ninken a stiff nod, searching the area yet again looking for clues. Upon receiving the silent confirmation, Pakkun begins to search the area quickly searching through and separating all of the scents now invading his senses. As the pug searched, Kakashi and Jiraiya sit upon their occupied branches, waiting as patiently as they can for the tracker to find the trail, they hoped. After twenty minutes, the two nins began to pace upon their respective branches, allowing their nerves to loosen before they gave chase once again as the dog landed next to the wielder of his contract.

"Kakashi, it took a while, but I have found their scent. I won't lie; we're probably half a day behind them at best. More than likely though, we're at least a full day or more behind them."

"Then what are we waiting for, lead on Pakkun!" Yelled the eccentric Sannin as he prepared to leap whichever direction the Ninken began.

--- ---

"Itachi…Kisame, welcome back." A soft baritone of a voice rang throughout the large cavern where the two members found themselves entering.

"Thank you Pein-sama." Replied Itachi in a neutral voice, readying himself for what was to come.

Moving his gaze upon the statue before them, Itachi sees that all but three of the outstretched fingers of its hands had a person standing on them. All of the senior members of Akatsuki were here: Diedara, Kakuzu, Hidan, Sasori, Zetsu, Kisame, himself, and Pein along with Konan. The uneasiness that had seeped into Itachi began to flood within him, if there were to be a battle among them, today would be that day.

"Bring the nine tails forward." Intoned Pein, staring intently upon the young boy upon the former leaf nin's back.

Moving forward, Itachi watched as Kisame moved to his position, leaving him on the floor of the cavern along with the Jinchuuriki. Hesitating a moment, Itachi couldn't help but remember the last of the vision as it rushed to the forefront of his thoughts.

--- ---

_In a heap, Itachi fell to the ground after the blast of power erupting from the Pein before him. Lifting his blood soaked face; Itachi stared at arguably the most powerful of the Peins._

"_All we were to you were pawns; you only had us gather the Bijuu only to get rid of us?"_

_Smirking, Itachi's opponent moved forward to stand before him._

"_In order for the world to given peace, all of the shinobi of the world must be eliminated. The eight of you were merely vessels of the cleansing that shall commence once I have finished sealing the last two."_

_Before he could respond, Itachi watched as a ball of energy began to quickly form in the current Pein's hand as he began to slowly burn off the skin of Itachi, from the tips of his toes, to the hair on his head._

--- ---

"Pein-sama…"

The leader of Akatsuki moved his gaze to the Uchiha as he stood beside the vessel before him.

"What is it Itachi."

"Why have you hidden your true goals from us, what you want and expect of us for when these Bijuu are all captured?"

Seven other pairs of eyes turn to look upon the leader among them, curious what information was being brought forth.

"I have not hidden my goals from anyone here Itachi, what are you speaking of?"

Hanging his head, Itachi turns his gaze back upon the Rinnegan before continuing.

"I know of what you plan for the rest of us after helping and serving you with the wealth. After the gathering of the Bijuu, what you plan of having us do."

Peaking the interest of his fellow members, Sasori turned his puppet's head towards the one known as Pein.

"What is it that you are planning for the rest of us to do?"

"To be sacrificed," Pein intoned, never removing his gaze from the Uchiha before him.

"NANI?" Hidan screamed, "What the hell do you mean sacrificed you son of a bitch!? I didn't sign up to sacrifice myself for your foolish, heretic ideals!"

Turning his gaze upon the members spread about, Pein decides to unveil their role in the reformation of the world.

"The world is corrupt with war, with battle after countless battle. In order to instate peace throughout the shinobi world, sacrifices must be made. The gathering of the Bijuu will allow us to have enough power to destroy the shinobi villages in one fell swoop. Yet, this only solves part of the problem; those without villages, the wandering shinobi shall also have to be purged. All of the shinobi among the living must be removed for there to be any semblance of true peace.

"Do not believe that your sacrifice would not be honored, truly you would be among those admired for their part in bringing about the peace this world yearns for and deserves. Once all of the shinobi have been removed for the planet, only then will it be able to right itself. To have all of those that bring about the war and destruction, the famine and suffering that has been wrought will finally be free to heal and flourish."

Shaking his head, Itachi began to see parts of his vision flash before his eyes; he knew that in order to defeat Pein, the entirety of the rest of them would be in for the fight of their lives. Working together would be the only way that any of them would be able to survive. Having his thoughts interrupted, the Sharingan wielder looked up to his partner and the others ready themselves for a battle that many if not all would perish in.

"You want us to die in order for your little utopia to form? You think that removing the shinobi will stop the war and destruction that has been upon us since the dawning of civilization?" Itachi asked.

Pein returned his Rinnegan eyes upon the Sharingan below him as he responded, "I want you to be removed for the world that is destined, that which is begging to return. If those that are the leading force of the major countries fall, they will lose their sway throughout the world and it will be quickly brought together into one single nation."

Sasori faced his puppet body to the being before him, ready to fight till the last, "I will never submit to this, nor will any of the others. You are a fool Pein if you believe that we would merely sit by and allow you to kill us without having something for you in return."

"…And what is it that you wish to give to me Sasori?"

"Simply put, a battle that you so wish to be rid of, I will not idly wait for my destruction. If I am to die here today, it will not be due to my 'sacrifice', I will die fighting, I will continue to exist, and I'm sure that I am not the only that will stand against you."

Itachi watched as the rest of the members voice their agreement to the puppet master. Turning, the Uchiha prodigy places the young Naruto against the wall of the cavern, then moves back to the middle of the area, activating his Kekkei Genkai, he readies himself for the battle that was soon to erupt.

"If you wish to remove us Pein, you will have to do so with force. I will stand against you as will the rest."

Narrowing his eyes, Pein takes in the former members before him.

"Very well, if you wish to have your sacrifices made so early, I will not stop you from meeting your fate. Now prepare to fight a god!"


	3. Chapter 2

A/N: Woo boy, sorry it's taken me a while to update this along with my other fics. The problem I have had was that a novel that I was writing, I found out that due to copyrights along with certain junctions made it impossible for me to write and publish. This completely removed my want to write, but life goes on. I wanted to tell you all that this, along with my other fics will have humor laced within them, though this more than the others. The reason behind this choice is that with my own sense of humor, the original base of humor within the Naruto world has given me ideas to work with and add my own flare as it were to it. Bah too much insight, now on with the fic!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto or any of the characters within the canon story.

Jiraiya and his copy-nin counterpart slowly approached the entrance to what used to be a mountain before them. Used to be, due to the fact of an explosion, and the resulting leveling of an area of ten kilometers surrounding it was what was left. Hesitantly, the elder sannin progressed, searching for any traps that might have survived the blast.

Moving softly through what they assumed to be the original entrance, the two leaf nins worked through the remains of the cave system and entered into a large area where the epicenter of the blast formed. Glancing between them, Jiraiya and Kakashi nodded to one another as they began to search for what they hoped would be a living blond haired leaf-nin.

As they began to methodically search, the remains of what could be considered ash imprints upon the walls and the floor. Shadowed silhouettes of bodies caught by the blast and had their last moments forever left upon what was behind them as they were caught by the powerful jutsu.

Though he had seen the remains of many battles, Hatake Kakashi had never seen anything close to the destruction that originated from this power; he knew to refer to the experience of the sannin with him. Though he doubted Jiraiya had seen anything near this magnitude, the elder ninja had definitely been through more than his share of battles and might be able to discern more from what was left than he.

"What do you make of it Jiraiya-sama?"

The Toad Sannin moved his gaze from the silhouette he was examining and looked upon the jounin. Seeing the look of confusion due to the destruction in the copy-nin's eye, Jiraiya knew he had to explain what he saw, or at least interpreted from what was left. Softly inhaling, Jiraiya began what he hoped to be an accurate recreation.*

"Well, Kakashi, it seems a battle the likes that few in the world could even believe occurred here. For a few minutes, this place was Armageddon; there was a firefight."

_The shadowed members of Akatsuki stood facing a masked figure. His pants ripped, shirt in tatters, the masked figure faced the leader of the group of missing-nins before him._

"_You have been a curse upon this world since your groups' inception. The horrors that you have brought upon the elemental countries cannot be undone. I have finally arrived to destroy this organization of evil."_

_As the shadowed leader stepped forward, the masked figure could hear his maniacal laugh as he acknowledged the impertinent man before him._

"_Before I have you struck down for your audacity, what is your name masked one?"_

_The masked figure stood tall, no fear showing in his steeled eyes as he addressed the figurehead before him._

"_My name is not important, but you may call me Rampu Senshuken."_

_Laughter erupted from the figures facing our masked hero as the leader chortled before speaking to the man before him._

"_Champion of the Light, eh? Foolish name for a foolish man; very well, if you are so willing to die, who are we to deny you of what you seek."_

_As one, the ten shadowed figures leaped forward, jutsus began to fly at a rapid rate as the masked one began to dodge and bring the fight to the evil before him._

"Then what happened?"

Jiraiya paused to look at the jounin who had moved next to him, and took in his enraptured gaze. The sannin couldn't help but smirk, as he brought out his notepad and began to write in earnest as he continued the story of the battle of the century.

_Jutsus of the five elements erupted throughout the battlefield. Fire, burning into and melting the surrounding rock, Water sprayed about causing the molten stone to steam and harden once again. Lightning and Wind ripped throughout the chamber, burning, cutting with reckless abandon. Mounds of Earth tore among the dodging figures, injuring friend and foe alike._

_A masked figure weaved through the onslaught, trying valiantly to attack and remove the burden of the planet before more fell to them. Dodging, feinting, the masked hero rushed upon one of the ten, a fish-like man named Hoshigaki Kisame. _

"_Katon: furea-taiyou!" A piercing flame erupted from the masked hero, engulfing the swordsman in a blinding white flame. As the other members of Akatsuki turned to see what became of their comrade, all they could see was a molten section of the floor that flowed directly to the wall and a shadowed imprint left of what could be considered their greatest melee fighter. _

_Without a moment's pause, the masked vigilante threw himself forward upon another member, striking with lightning fast taijutsu. Before other members of the missing-nin could attack, Rampu Senshuken flashed through multiple seals before announcing his next attack._

"_Futon: Yaiba kyuuten!" The eight members left could only watch with wide eyes as the air inside the cavern flowed about them to the top of the cave, before forming into a visible blade as it rushed down into the body of Sasori of the Red Sand. As the large blade pierced him, it reformed into hundreds of tiny blades that began piercing every single point of the puppet master's shell, before finally piercing his heart container._

_Removing a katana from his back, Rampu turned upon another member before launching himself forward and engaging two members before they could mount a counter-attack. Blades flashed and jutsu flew as the three were forced to fight and dodge among the other members attacks upon one whom had already killed two of their members. Jumping back from his opponents, Rampu once again began to work his hands skillfully through more seals._

"_Raiton: Yofun Raiden!" Pushing his hand forward, a ball of lighting formed in Rampu's palm. Upon turning his hand upward, the ball quickly rose into the upper parts of the cavern before exploding, as Hidan and Kakuzu tried to dodge, hundreds of bolts rained upon them from above. Though they were powerful Nin, even the greatest cannot hold up against so much, and both fell within seconds to the attack's origin._

"What about the damsels?"

The question made the sannin halt mid sentence. Looking at Kakashi, Jiraiya saw the dazed look upon the man's face, a look of enrapture as he held his latest copy of Icha-Icha series. Jiraiya smirked, who was he to deny his fan what should always be part of any story, damsels in distress.

"There they were, clothes ripped and barely covering their skin-"

"_Save us! Please, we will do anything you want if you can save us!"_

_Turning his gaze upon the ten beauties tethered to the cavern wall, Rampu Senshuken could not stop the anger that erupted seeing these vulnerable, buxom young women with barely anything covered held fast by ropes and chains._

_Focusing his anger upon his enemies, Rampu barely dodged an attack from two shadowed forms as the leader began a long series of seals. Venting his anger upon his enemies, Rampu pushed futon chakra into the blade of his katana before quickly dispatching his two opponents._

_Turning his gaze upon the Uchiha, Rampu began a series of one-handed seals to hold the Sharingan wielder off from quickly copying his soon to be jutsu._

"_Suiton: Heki kamigami!" a turbulent rainstorm began to fall, water began to rise from the floor as the torrential storm poured it's fury down, soaking all those within the cave. "Hyoton: Senkou hyouketsu!" As the words were uttered, Rampu jumped into the air, focusing his vision upon the body of Itachi. In the blink of an eye, Itachi froze, his entire body caught in the sub-zero temperatures blasted upon him. Following through the arc of his jump, Rampu brought his katana down upon the Uchiha popsicle, turning the once leaf-nin into hundreds of shattered remains._

"_Enough!"_

_Turning his gaze upon the Akatsuki leader, Rampu watched as the man ran through multiple seals at incredible speeds._

"_You think that you can stop me! You are nothing but an insect! Allow me to show you the true power of the Akatsuki!"_

_Rampu stood in shock at the amount of chakra was being built, as it visibly formed and rolled off the leader in waves. The power behind this jutsu would destroy the cavern they were in, if not the entire mountain. Focusing chakra to his legs, Rampu ran quickly over to the bound women and using his katana, broke their bonds, returning his katana to it's sheath, he pushed the damsels towards the exit before standing in the entrance behind them._

"_This may destroy me, but I will do everything I can to protect them!" quickly flashing through seals, Rampu Senshuken gathered his remaining chakra before naming a final jutsu._

"_Doton: Kongouseki shouheki!" a barrier began from the bottom of the entrance and quickly grew to seal the cave in a glinting armor._

"_Kinjutsu: Suta-shinsei!" From where the leader stood, a blinding light flashed as the man laughed. As the light grew from him, a roar erupted, shaking the entire mountain as it met the erected barrier. Barely able to hold the jutsu, Rampu began to pour part of his life force into his jutsu, praying to Kami it would hold._

_As he felt the blast begin to break his jutsu, Rampu felt the mountain cease it's quaking. Opening his eyes, the avenger saw parts of his barrier had been destroyed, it barely held before he released it. Falling to his knees, Rampu began to black out as he felt many arms begin to surround him, before passing out, he heard a soft voice beside him._

"_You saved us, now let us help you from here Rampu-kun."_

"That's amazing Jiraiya-sama!" exclaimed Kakashi as he looked around the devastated ruins surrounding them. Looking about the room, the copy-nin could see the after shadows of the bodies vaporized by the gigantic blast. Returning his gaze to the sannin beside him, Kakashi sweat-dropped as he noticed Jiraiya writing fervently, pervert giggle included. Glancing at the devastation, Kakashi couldn't help but scratch the side of his face as he turned back to the elder nin.

"Jiraiya-sama, what happened to Naruto?"

Jiraiya stopped his writing to look blankly at the copy-nin. "Eh?" he intelligently replied.

"Naruto, the one we came to save?" Kakashi probed.

Jiraiya nervously laughed as he returned his notebook to his bags before turning back to his fellow nin.

"That's what we are still searching for; I haven't seen anything showing what happened to him. Knowing that lucky gaki, he probably is on his way back to Konoha."

Nodding, Kakashi went back to searching for any sign of the missing gennin. For nearly an hour, both nin searched fruitlessly for a sign of Naruto before Jiraiya saw something glinting in the sunlight off to the far side of the ruins. Walking forward, the sannin was able to discern a Hitai-ite upon the ground.

"Kakashi, over here, I've found something."

Still searching, Kakashi walked quickly over to where Jiraiya was bent over.

"What did you find Jiraiya-sama?"

When no answer came, Kakashi peered around the kneeled shinobi to see what had him hesitate. The copy-nin's visible eye widened dramatically when he saw the twisted and blackened piece of metal lying in the sannin's hands. Upon the metal was the unmarked swirling symbol of the leaf, that of a Konoha Nin. Looking about the area, Kakashi's breath caught as see what had warped the metal so badly, lying all about them was a black fire, slowly burning out as it surrounded a few dustings of bone, the sickly smell of charred flesh was evident the closer he got.

"I failed…"

Turning his vision to the sannin beside him, Kakashi's breath caught as he saw a tear fall upon a name scored into the back of the Hitai-ite, Uzumaki Naruto. Sadness erupted form inside him as Kakashi realized that not only was another of his students gone, but now one of them had been killed. Too long had he ignored the boy…no young man that had been on team seven with the Uchiha, a boy who had proven himself in battle for his stubbornness to win; a shinobi that held greater loyalty to his village than anyone who went through even half the life Naruto had. Even greater than those who wouldn't or couldn't believe what Naruto had lived through.

"You are not the only one who failed him Jiraiya…"

Turning his gaze upon the copy-nin beside him, Jiraiya could see the track of a tear that ran from the man's visible eye.

"Are you sure it was him Jiraiya-sama? Could it have been someone else who was caught by Amaterasu?"

Standing up, Jiraiya placed the Hitai-ite inside his vest, keeping it secured for their return trip.

"There's no way to tell Kakashi, if those blackened bones still held tissue it would be possible, but when the black flame hits, it burns until there is nothing left of it's target, which is why it still burns as the bones lie within."

Kakashi hung his head as he raised himself upright, how would he be able to look Sakura or the Hokage in the face after this? Though he was sure Tsunade's relationship with the boy was greater than what his last student thought of Naruto, the loss of not only one, but two of your teammates within days of one another would have a bad effect on Sakura.

"Come Kakashi, we must get back and report," Jiraiya intoned emotionlessly.

"Hai, Jiraiya-sama."

The remnants of the Rookie Nine stood together at the main gates into Konoha, waiting for one of their own to return. It had been days since Naruto had been taken; now all they could do was wait for two of their best to bring him home. Suddenly, Rock Lee raised his hand, pointing towards the road leading to the gates.

"YOSH! THERE THEY ARE! JIRAIYA-SAMA HAS BROUGHT NARUTO-KUN HOME TO US! HIS YOUTHFULLNESS IS TOO GREAT TO BE BROUGHT DOWN BY KIDNAPPERS! TO PROVE MY OWN YOUTHFULLNESS I WILL RUN FIFTY TIMES AROUND KONOHA, IF I CANNOT I WILL …MMPH…!"

As the majority of the gennin uncover their ears, they take in the sight of Lee lying on his stomach, a result of Tenten's fist to the back of his skull.

"Dang it Lee, I want to actually hear something before the week is out!"

Returning their gaze to the gate, the group's hopeful faces fall as they only see two figures walking towards them. As Jiraiya and Kakashi arrive, Sakura steps forward to her sensei.

"Kakashi sensei, where is Naruto?"

Turning his gaze upon his last student, Kakashi sighs, "I'm sorry Sakura, but I must give my report to the Hokage first. I'll look for you after Jiraiya-sama and I are done."

Kakashi moved his gaze away from the gennin, hating the emotions that ran across her face. Anger, sadness, confusion were rampant, along with pain and fear. The copy-nin knew that she would take it hard, but hoped that Sakura would be able to hold herself together. Moving to Jiraiya who had waited patiently, the two begin their trek to Tsunade's office.

Moving through the village, Jiraiya was sickened to see members of the shinobi ranks along with the majority of villagers celebrating the fact that the 'Demon child' was gone. 'Never mind how much he cared for them even though he got nothing in return. If it wasn't for the gaki, Gaara would have torn the village apart during the invasion,' he thought.

Due to them both being caught in their thoughts, Kakashi and Jiraiya find themselves at the tower much sooner than they hoped. Slowly, hesitantly the two trudge up the stairs making their way to the Hokage's office. As they approached the door, Jiraiya stopped upon seeing someone lying across the secretary's desk. Walking up, the toad sannin saw an exhausted Shizune passed out upon it. Softly reaching, Jiraiya shook her.

"Shizune, wake up."

Jerking awake, Shizune blinked repeatedly before her eyes locked onto the two shinobi.

"Jiraiya-sama, Kakashi-san, oh thank goodness you are back!" Shizune glances around, looking for a certain blond. "Jiraiya-sama….where's Naruto?"

"Come Shizune, we will talk in her office."

Taken back by his abruptness, Shizune quickly walks to the door to the Tsunade's office. Knocking, all three jump as they here a crash from within the room.

"Damn it Shizune, I told you I don't want to be disturbed right now! Not until Jiraiya is back with him!"

Moving the Hokage's apprentice aside, Jiraiya walked to the door and opened it.

"Still treating the help well I see."

"Jiraiya…"

The toad sannin sighed as he took in the sight of the Godaime's office in such rough shape. Though he knew that Naruto had made an impression on Tsunade before they reached Konoha, now he could see how much his kidnapping had affected her; nearly everything in the office was destroyed, furniture, ink wells, even some of the plaster on the walls had been ruined by the strength of the slug sannin.

As the three entered, Tsunade could see the look on the faces of the two shinobi; a look she recognized well. In her years of experience, Tsunade had seen many a Nin who would have to arrive home and share the news of a fallen comrade. The eyes always held the pain and torment. Seeing those same eyes upon her former teammate and friend, along with arguably the strongest jounin of the village pulled the wind from her lungs. Tsunade pulled what was left of her chair upright before falling into it.

"…Report…"

Jiraiya took a steadying breath before giving what could be his hardest mission debriefing ever.

"Hai, five days ago, Kakashi and I began to follow the trail of those we discovered to be Uchiha Itachi, and Hoshigaki Kisame. Throughout the first two days, Kakashi and I were lead on multiple trails, apparently they had decoys set about to pull our attention. Somehow their scent was cast in multiple directions along with evidence of travel.

"On the second night as we rested for two hours, both of us felt a massive earthquake, which by the best we could tell, came from the direction the real Itachi and Kisame took Naruto. After the quake, we immediately headed in the direction of the point of origin, fearful that somehow the Kyuubi might have broken free…"

Jiraiya watched as both Tsunade and Shizune flinched, afraid that the gennin they both thought of as family had not been able to hold back the demon within. Taking a minute to gather his thoughts, Jiraiya continued his report.

"Luckily, all evidence we found along our path showed that whatever had caused the disturbance, was not from the Kyuubi. On the third day of travel, Kakashi and I arrived to what had been a mountain at the border of Fire and Wind, as we searched it was clear that this was, if not their current, an Akatsuki base. Moving into the demolished mountain, Kakashi and I came upon the evidence of a battle between what seemed to be one person against the entirety of Akatsuki."

"What do you mean Jiraiya? Someone just attacked them?" Tsunade asked.

"It would seem so. As we searched around the outer section, I wasn't able to gather any evidence of anyone entering before us besides the two we were tracking. In any case, this person went toe to toe with the Akatsuki elite, which just from the information I have is at least six S-ranked missing-nin. Through the remains, Kakashi and I were able to discern what happened."

Taking a breath, Jiraiya began to tell what he believed happened within the mountain before their arrival. Kakashi stood to one side watching Tsunade's reactions, and couldn't help but get confused. Jiraiya was telling the story just as he had to him, and yet the Hokage seemed to be getting more and more aggravated. Once Jiraiya reached the part about the maidens, a cloud of dust appeared followed by a very loud smash.

As the smoke and dust began to clear, Kakashi paled when he noticed that where Jiraiya was standing there was now the fist of the Godaime roughly where his head would have been, if his body was still in the room. Looking to the wall behind him, Kakashi could easily see the outline of the sannin as he was forced through the wall and those behind it by the impact.

"Kakashi, report… and I swear if it is anything like that last bit of shit, I will hang you up by your toes and make you watch as I remove the pages one by one from your books and burn them."

The copy-nin sweat-dropped before shaking himself to calm his nerves, he couldn't let anyone, not even the Godaime Hokage hurt any of his preciouses. Quickly, Kakashi reported on all of the damage that he could discern from the ruins, but as he came to Jiraiya finding the Hitai-ite, he paused.

"Well, go on Kakashi, what happened next?"

Sighing to himself, Kakashi removed the twisted piece of metal from his vest, thankful that he had gotten it from Jiraiya before they entered the village.

"As we were finishing our search, Jiraiya-sama called for me to a section we had not searched yet. Upon arrival I saw him holding this…"

The copy-nin hesitantly handed over the twisted and blackened forehead protector to the Hokage who took a minute to examine it, before turning it over and gasping. There, etched in clearly was a name: Uzumaki Naruto. Tears erupted from the two women in the office, thinking of what might have happened to their unofficial 'little brother'.

"Tell me Kakashi, is there any chance he survived?"

Taking a deep breath, Kakashi prepared himself for what he had to say next.

"Godaime-sama, this Hitai-ite was on the ground next to a body that was nearly consumed by Amaterasu… the black flames to not stop until they consume what they are set to."

A/N: Really quickly before anyone thinks otherwise…NARUTO IS STILL ALIVE! Honestly, he'll be back in a few chapters, the next couple will follow around a new character that will have ties to Naruto and some of his friends.

Translations for Jiraiya's story:

Katon: Solar Flare

Suiton: Tears of the Gods

Futon: Blade of the Heavens

Raiton: Rage of the Thunder God

Hyoton: Flash Freeze

Kinjutsu: Star Nova

Doton: Diamond Barrier

Also I want to clarify that Jiraiya's story was exactly that, a story. A natural storyteller has no trouble coming up with one on the spot, and having an avid fan of his writings in Kakashi allowed him to embellish more and more until it got too outrageous, hence the face punch delivered from Tsunade.

I will try and have my next chapter out as soon as possible!


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